by AMELIA A. HART

amelia.hart@mynassausun.com

Danny Leeper tendered his resignation as Fernandina Beach fire chief at 4:45 p.m. today, meeting a deadline set by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

The office ruled June 20 that Leeper’s run for the Nassau County Commission put him in violation of the federal Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by government workers whose jobs involve programs funded by the federal government, and gave him until today to end his candidacy or resign his job.

"I choose not to disregard the opinion or disregard the law. I don't want to be in violation of the law. I'll just find another way to change the law,” Leeper said this afternoon.

The office found Leeper in violation because he is listed as a contact person on a grant application to the Department of Homeland Security for a pair of night-vision goggles and because he supervises the applicant, then Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Bunch.

The grant was awarded in December, but the goggles have not yet been delivered, so the grant is still considered open.

Leeper already had submitted his resignation as chief in order to comply with Florida's Resign to Run law, but that resignation had been effective Nov. 3.

Leeper said he didn’t know who would be in charge of the department where he has worked for 26 years after his resignation became effective at 5 p.m. today.